Saturday, August 18, 2012

District Of The Day 3: Iowa Senate District 18, Iowa House District 35 & 36

Janet
Petersen may have been the happiest person in the Capitol when she saw
The Map on Map Day. This seat closely overlaps the House turf she's held
since 2000, and no Senators were in its lines. It's the number 3 most
Democratic seat, and the best one on this year's ballot. She called dibs
immediately. Worth noting: Petersen is in her early 40s, and even
numbered, presidential cycle seats don't conflict with statewide runs in
a gubernatorial year. Just sayin'.

Petersen has a rematch of
sorts. She had a three-way House race in 2010, and the independent, tea
partier Vicki Stogdill is back, only this time on the GOP line.

July 19 Campaign Finance Report: Petersen for State Senate, Iowans for Stogdill
Petersen has $21,052.19 on hand. Stogdill has all of $70.78 in the
bank, and I may have that much change in my couch. I don't owe myself
$1000, either.

Abdul-Samad
gets weird elections. Three consecutive contested primaries, including
one from the religious right in 2010. Three consecutive big wins.

This cycle, Abdul-Samad had his first uncontested primary. Republican Terrance Williams, who I think is this clergyman, will face him in the fall.
Ako's seat moves north, becoming a few hundred voters less Democratic
the the turf he inherited from Ed Fallon in 2006, but staying safe.

An open, solidly Democratic seat is hard to come by in Des Moines, and a hot primary probably settled this. Marti Anderson, former director of the Crime Victim Assistance Division of the Attorney General’s Office, won a hard-fought race over Cara Kennedy-Ode 50-46%. Third candidate William Rock polled 3% but had the best committee name, Citizens For Rock, which I believe is a track on the latest Tenacious D album.

For some reason, a lot of Republicans were also interested in this very blue seat. Former Homeland Security officer Jeff Ibbotson
seemed the least like a Some Dude, and won with 47%. Larry Steele, who
initially announced his candidacy in Senate District 14, but moved from
Knoxville to Des Moines, was second at 29%, and Tony Seliquini got the
bronze with 23.